Hybrid, Chapter 4: Love At Last

Chapter 4:
Love At Last

    The early morning, Helen and Alpha woke up and headed to the ship. She was very excited to go see him again, only this time she looked like a Spacer. She felt her heart beating fast as they launched out of Earth’s orbit and flew passed Mars and dodged through the asteroid belt. Alpha did a small lecture on each planet they encountered in the outer solar system.

    As they approached Pluto, Alpha pushed a button and a strange rod emerged from the floor of the cockpit. A green holographic screen appeared above the rod showing the map of the Milky Way. He typed in a few codes to select their destination.

    “Ok Helen,” said Alpha. “There is a transporting portal orbiting around the moon that would take us to our destination.”

    “Where are we heading?” Helen asked.

    “We are heading to Pandora, the Spacers’ capital world,” he said. “You are going to love it! There are skyscrapers that are seven hundred feet tall and a huge variety of ships. This planet is known for their music, celebrations, great food, excellent fashion, and so much more!”

    “Does this mean that Fabocusa lives there?” she asked.

    “Of course, since he is a prince of the Royal Family,” he said. “His generation has been ruling over the Empire for thousands of years. Now, let’s open the portal and fasten your seat belts!”

    As they approached the portal, a bright white vortex appeared as he pressed a green swirl key. Their ship beings to be pulled in and started shaking. This made her so nervous that she closed her eyes refusing to look and see what was happening.  

    “Hang on!” he yelled as they entered the portal. She felt hundreds of pounds being thrown at her, making it impossible for her to move. Billions of stars went by in less than a second. A bright light grew as they reached the end of the portal. As soon as they flew out, they're on the other side of the galaxy.

    Millions of ships in various shapes and sizes orbiting around Pandora. Pandora resembled to that of Earth, but with a larger ice cap, more ocean, and more vegetation. The planet had five moons that looked were smaller versions of Pandora filled with colonies. As they flew towards the surface, Helen looked at her window as she glimpsed the buildings floating above the surface made of mysterious green glass and in various shapes and sizes. It was a giant glass collection. The Spacers’ personal vehicles flew at different heights around the buildings.

    Alpha parked their ship in a parking lot and then examined her to make sure she did resemble a Spacer.

    “How do I look?” Helen asked Alpha.

     “You look marvelous!” Alpha gave her the thumbs up.

     Alpha opened the door and Helen stepped out as if she was going to a party. Her heart throbbed violently as she walked past the Spacers. Each Spacer wore various sets of cloaks, gowns, and suits. A few had long light blue, dark blue or white hair. A few decorated their faces with blue patterns and gems; most love to wear bracelets and necklaces.

    Alpha pulled her to a small alley to get her to calm down and said, “Helen, your adrenalin levels are spiked to about 10 out of 10.”

    Helen looked at him not knowing what he was talking about. He shook himself and said, “What I mean is, that you are very excited and more excited than anyone. You need to relax more so you could blend in.”

    She then understood that her excitement would cause suspicion in the city. She calmed herself and they continued to venture into the city’s central square. At the center of the central square, Fabocusa walked out of a small vehicle and got on top of the large podium. Everyone raised their right hand, closed thumb, and cheered for their future king. Then he spoke,

    “My people! It is I, Prince Fabocusa. My generation has ruled over you for a thousand years. They gave you love, protection, and guidance. And in return, each of you looked after each other as well ever since the end of the war against the Titan Empire. What their leader did was to tip the balance and bring darkness into our eyes. But we ignited the light within us and fought that darkness. We worked together to rebuild our homes and searched for the primitives that became our children. We raised and cultivated them to civilization so that one day they will be like us. And we will keep our cosmos in the light. As your future king, I shall keep my family’s promise to protect not just you, but the entire galaxy!”

    Everyone cheered as he finished his speech believing he would be a great leader one day. They blew on their musical instruments as the celebration began. Alpha scanned tracked where Fabocusa was going. He guided Helen to a large garden just three blocks south of the podium. They swam through the crowd and Alpha hid behind a bush as they reached the garden's entrance.

    In the garden, she spotted Fabocusa sitting on a bench alone watching the birds fly over the water. There wasn't anyone around them so she walked up to him. As she approached him, he turned and his eyebrows as she appeared as a Spacer.

    “Helen?” he was shocked. “Is that you?”

    “Yes, it is me,” she said.

    “How did you manage to disguise yourself?” he asked not blinking his eyes. “You didn’t have to do that!”

    “But I wanted to be with your race,” said Helen. “Alpha suggested this idea and I loved it. No one would know I am human except you and Alpha.”

    He looked around to make sure no one or any artificial intelligence was spying on them. As he calmed down, he felt relieved that Alpha helped her reach to him. They looked at each other as they admire each other. A couple of swan-like creatures landed in a pond and swam along a trail. Then flowers started blooming as their sun was setting.

    “Helen, you sure you wanted this?” he asked.

    “Yes Fabocusa,” she nodded.

    Fabocusa offered his hand and Helen held as they walked into the garden. Helen looked at his palm and it was the same hand her knife went through to save her from death. Surprisingly, there wasn’t any scar and bruise.

    As they walked in the garden, he talked to her of his life and his royal family. As he talked, Helen never found what he said boring because to her it sounded calm and graceful. Whenever she asked him a question, he answered them perfectly as if he were the library of information. He even answered better than Alpha.

    In an opened field, he showed her his strengths and fighting skills he learned when he was a child. He demonstrated so fast that she couldn’t see him. So he demonstrated step by step as he was performing a dance. When he finished, she applauded as the only best performer. Whatever he showed her, she wanted more. She became a very fast learner. He showed her most of the star systems, regions of the galaxy, as well as other galaxies in the galactic cluster. Showing his own world helped expand her own universe.

    Five days later, Fabocusa invited Helen to his family’s ball in his palace. As she arrived, she wore a blue gown, pearls beaded in her hair, diamonds beaded all over her wide skirt; she looked very beautiful. In the golden palace, everyone was dancing around as they waited for the prince. When he arrived, everyone lined up a path for him. He looked at Helen and walked up the stairs. As he approached her, he bowed and took her hand for a dance.  

    After they danced with the group, they walked to the Royal Family garden. A couple of the dancers took a break sitting at the stone benches looking at the stars and moons. Helen and Fabocusa went further into the garden where no one else would see them. A small fountain surrounded by a bunch of tall lunar flowers. They did a slow dance around the fountain as the music was playing inside the palace.

    “Fabocusa,” said Helen.

    “Yes?” he asked.

    “Thank you so much,” she said. “I was just a lost girl who had no future. But when you showed up, everything changed. You ignited the light at the very end of the tunnel!”

    Fabocusa said. “You needed to be free and I found a way for you. The universe is so big that you could spend all of your life in happiness. You are so young and beautiful.”

    “I was going to tell you that,” she said. “If I were to do what I want, I want you to be with me.”

    Fabocusa gently rubbed her cheek as she rubbed his back. She placed her hands on the sides of his face and he wrapped his arms around her. Their faces drew closer until their lips met. Their kiss was tingly, soft, and dispersing so much energy between them.

    When they let go of that kiss, Fabocusa said, “I love you.”

    “I love you too,” said Helen.